


An Imperial in Skyrim

by SeigePhoenix



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Gen, Humor, Reluctant Bodyguard, Reluctant Dovahkiin | Dragonborn, but not what you're thinking, eventually, it's in one chapter, one bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:27:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26454112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeigePhoenix/pseuds/SeigePhoenix
Summary: Aurelia Tullius had an ordinary life for a soldier in the Imperial Army.  A dust up with the local thieves’ guild left her fleeing Cyrodil to protect her family from the corrupt politicians in league with the guild.  She goes to Skyrim to join her uncle’s side and fight in the war brewing there.  She wasn’t expecting to be ambushed as she entered Skyrim and discover she was some long lost relic of the past.  A Dragonborn was the last thing she wanted on her plate.  Even worse, her uncle hires a bodyguard to travel around with her.  Would she be able to save Skyrim from itself and Alduin all without wringing Roskar’s neck in the process?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Aurelia knew something was amiss as she sat on a bench in the small village. She had paused to catch her breath and a small snack before she pressed further into Skyrim. The air had a touch more chill than she was used to. Her uncle had not been making a jest when he wrote to them and informed them Skyrim was cold. Cold didn't begin to describe it, her teeth rattled in her head as she shivered. The wagon driver on the way to the border village told her they were in the warm season, and it took everything in her to ask if the man was alright in the head. She sighed and kept her silence, she knew the man would likely complain Cyrodil was too hot. Or that she was a _milk drinker_. Skyrim was just too cold for her blood. She'd heard rumors but experiencing it firsthand just made her want to go back. Yet, she knew going back wasn't an option. Not until the scandal was replaced with another.

That scuffle with the local Thieves Guild had caused one headache after another. The man had tried to steal her coin purse in broad daylight, and had fumbled like a fool. Aurelia had smacked his hand and brought him to the ground for the guards to arrest. She hadn't known the local magistrate was in their pocket until her family started getting harassed. She'd been given a bogus trial and made to pay a steep fine, and her family had experienced livestock going missing with crops laid to waste. Her mother sent her to Skyrim to fight in the army with her uncle while they retreated to their main estate in Cryodil. Irritation rose anew whenever she thought about it. The guild should have screened their recruits better if he'd been _that_ easy to catch. Aurelia huffed at the memory and watched her breath form into a cloud. It dissipated in the stiff breeze as it blew over her. She looked around the quiet village, that feeling of something was off wedged in the back of her mind. A tiny sense of foreboding that just didn't sit right in the pit of her stomach. Hard lessons over the years taught her to listen to that feeling. She finished her small ration pack and stood. The road to Solitude was a long one or so she’d been told. Perhaps she could find a traveling merchant or a carriage driver to purchase her way to Solitude.

A farmer told her which road to take before he quickly retreated to his home, almost as if he was afraid. Aurelia thought it odd that not even the farmers were out tending their fields. Not a single soul was out, that just seemed too strange to her. Suspicion clouded her mind but she assured herself she was just imagining things. The customs of Skyrim were different than what she was used to was all. Mayhap she came during a holiday or something. Or the locals were so wary of someone with Imperial lineage that they just made themselves scarce. Aurelia didn't have the time nor the inclination to think too hard on it.

The dried mud crackled beneath her boots as she headed further up the road. She enjoyed looking at the scenery. It was far greener than home and the smell of evergreen was exotic to her. So different from the heat and smell of exotic spices from the market that she was used to. The hint of danger in the air sent a small charge along her blood. Something was about to happen, she felt it in her soul. Aurelia wasn't one to shy away from danger. Much to her mother's dismay. A large squad of soldiers in blue approached the road from her left. Blue? She spotted the bear emblazoned on their cloaks and shields. Aurelia's eyes narrowed as she wracked her brain to think about what her uncle said about that. As she heard the familiar battle cry of the Imperials it hit her with the force of a war hammer. _Stormcloaks!_ She scrambled backwards, unsheathing the daggers she preferred to use, preparing to fight. She was surprised when she felt the blow to her neck and the world went black. Her daggers fell as her grip slackened. She wasn’t even aware of hitting the ground nor the scuffling of boots as the fighting intensified.

Aurelia woke up to the swaying of a wagon. Her head pulsed in pain from the wound at the back of her skull and the side of her face went raw. Her eyes widened in dismay as she saw the Stormcloak uniforms all around her. She was being mistaken for a rebel? The daft jackasses. She hadn’t been wearing Stormcloak armor but her own Imperial issued. Did the giant horker asses not recognize their own insignia!? Her temper got the better of her as her head whipped around to the driver. “What the hell do you think you're doing!? I demand you release me this instant!” She yelled at the driver in her native tongue in her fury. The driver didn't understand her as he told her to sit down and shut up. 

“Rebel scum? I'll have your head you sad sack of horse shit!” The other men watched in amazement as she blasted the driver with a barrage of insults in the native tongue of Cyrodil. She never stopped, not even when he threatened to slit her throat. The threat only seemed to make the woman more incensed. Her eyes burned with the promise of revenge and impotent fury. Even bound she was no slouch and had given him a bruise to the side of his head from a blow when he'd tried to slap her for her waspish tongue. The driver gave up and settled for an easier solution, he gagged her.

“Blessed Talos but you need to hold your tongue.” She shot daggers at him and kicked at his legs which earned her a swift slap to her cheek. Aurelia saw red as her eyes snapped to him. He had a moment of true fear at the rage written on her face. She snarled at him around the gag and slammed her bound fists into his groin in return. A lock of her hair fell over her face as she scowled at the man with his face twisted in pain. She'd like to see him try it again!

“Oi!” The blond Nord protested as the driver raised his hand again. The driver settled for calling her an annoyance before turning his attention back to the road. Aurelia's eyebrow twitched and she gave him a half-hearted kick to the back of his seat. The others in the wagon watched her in amazement as she fought viciously with the driver. The blonde Nord spoke quietly to her and the other man, a horse thief by what she gathered. They were ignoring her for the most part, likely to keep her attention from landing on them. “That is Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak."

_Oh. Oh no._ Aurelia knew they were destined for the executioner block. Her uncle had orders out for Ulfric's capture and death. If she was imprisoned with him, that meant only one thing. They didn't know who she was and that she was going to be executed as a traitor. Her! A proud Legate in the Imperial Army in Cyrodil. She could only imagine her mother's reaction as she received the box that would contain her remains and wished there was a way out. She cursed her temper and quick tongue as they rolled into Helgen. The Nord shared a story about the town but Aurelia focused on the group of Imperial soldiers. Surely one would see reason and give her the benefit of the doubt.

They headed in and Aurelia saw her uncle sitting atop a horse near the entrance. She cursed the gag in her mouth. Desperation set it as he rode away from the entrance to the middle of the village. Her eyes pleaded with him to come back but the gag was set and tight. The wagon swayed to a stop and she stood up with the other prisoners. The meekness didn't fool the prisoners in her wagon but the driver bought it. Aurelia hopped down from the wagon and waited patiently in line. The guard that took everyone's name untied the gag to get hers. She moved her jaw to ease the stiffness there, the satisfying crack as she popped it made the others stare at her. He shook his head and stepped back with his clipboard. He had kind eyes. An oddity for a soldier in the Imperial Army.

“What is your name prisoner?” Kind eyes or not, that she was lumped in with these rebels infuriated her. She wasn't going to take that lying down. Though blindly lashing out at her captors would not prove to be wise. She had to play this smarter than she did in the carriage.

“My name is Aurelia Tullius. Legate in the Imperial Army. Niece to General Tullius.” A wave of shocked gasps went through the crowd. Swiftly subdued by the captain. The Stormcloaks stared at her in shock as she spoke with confidence. Ulfric watched her with sharp and calculating eyes.

“Likely story. We would've known he had family visiting. He hasn't said a word to us.” Aurelia glared at the captain. She wasn't going to go down without a fight by the Divines. Yet, she knew there was no way out. The Captain spoke, no soldier would dare go against her. That was how it was. Aurelia took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. Well, _she_ wasn't afraid, she'd face death with her head held high just as her father told her to do when it came for her.

“Then I dare you to send my remains to General Tullius upon my execution. And may _yours_ be as swift as mine is this day.” The chill went through all the soldiers that day as she spoke. Her eyes were flat and cold as she locked gazes with the other woman. The Captain snapped at her to join the others and she went to them with her head held high. She was second to the executioner's block, and felt the fear tighten in her belly. She truly didn't want to die. She didn't deserve the fate she was being handed, but damned if she'd let them know how deep her fear went. Aurelia walked with her head held high and heard an outraged yell from the crowd. She turned as she recognized the voice of her uncle. Aurelia swore he'd ridden away from the village but perhaps he'd merely gone to the stables.

“What in the Divines’ name is my _niece_ doing up there!?” Aurelia resisted the urge to turn and smirk at the Captain as General Tullius headed towards the block. Aurelia didn't get to savor the victory. With a deafening roar the earth shook as a giant dragon with scales as dark as pitch landed on the Tower. Aurelia met his blazing red eyes and felt a trickle of fear and awareness slide down her spine. The dragon let out an ear-splitting roar and sent the world into chaos. The skies darkened and rained down molten rock, splitting the earth and crushing anything in their path. She ran to a watchtower, half blind because of the dust and dirt.

“Well, well. General Tullius's niece. A good bargaining chip. How fortunate for us.” Aurelia turned at the voice and her legs bunched as she prepared to flee. “You're coming with us.” Ulfric told her as he grabbed her collar. She met his victorious face with defiance. This man would never take her down.

“Like hell I will.” She snarled at him in the common tongue.

“So you do speak a common language. Good. That will come in handy. First we need to escape.” He released her and she glared at the Nords as they conversed in their own native tongue. Without realizing she could understand it. She spoke it with an atrocious accent but she understood it well enough, and her fate was not to be kind. Aurelia had expected no less and her own mind whirled with escape possibilities.

_If they think I'll go quietly then they are in for a rude awakening. I didn't escape one executioner to go quietly with another._ Aurelia headed up the stairs and barely dodged the blast of rock as the dragon burst through. She saw her chance. Aurelia ran and leapt towards the burning house next door. She heard the yells behind her as she landed and rolled. The impact rattled her teeth in her head and stole the breath from her lungs.

“By the eight…” She staggered to her feet and jumped down from the second story, ignoring the blisters on her feet. She'd find a temple soon and see about getting them taken care of. Or when she found a quiet moment to herself. Chaos reigned over the small village as the dragon decimated the poor townsfolk. Aurelia had just left the door of the burning house when she saw the soldier running towards her. It was the guard from earlier, the one with the kind eyes. Hadvar escorted a young boy to cover as he finally noticed her. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“By the Divines, you survived.” She tilted her chin stubbornly as if daring him to argue with her. “We need to escape. Quickly.” She arched an eyebrow but rolled her eyes and followed. She figured she was safest with him as they escaped, he was armed and armored where she was not. He had tried to argue her case with that Imperial Captain. As much as it pained her to rely on anyone else, this man was her best chance at escaping unscathed from the dragon attack. Perhaps the man could give her directions on getting to Solitude once they were safe. Her uncle had to get out, she refused to believe he would succumb to this damned dragon. She followed Hadvar across the village, keeping to the walls to stay out of sight. Her ears rang from the roars of the dragon. _Hadn't dragons gone extinct? What in the Divines name is one doing here?_

“Ralof you damned traitor!” The two men had their confrontation in the middle of the wide street with zero cover. Aurelia rushed past them into the keep. They could tempt fate all they wanted, she was going to choose life. She remembered a lot of the old keeps and military bases had underground passages. Going underground was her best bet as that dragon ravaged Helgen, at the least she could hide out until it left. Most had an exit away from the keep in the instance of an invasion the servants and other civilians could escape. Aurelia ducked into the keep and searched for a small knife or something sharp to cut the bindings off her hands. She didn't hear the door open behind her as she rummaged in a storage chest.

“Here. I'll cut them off.” Aurelia whirled around, eyes narrowing as Hadvar stood behind her. He sighed and held out his hand to her. “I would like to apologize. For not believing you.” She eased over to him and held up her hands. His knife sliced through the rope easily enough and she massaged her wrists. The rope had rubbed her skin raw from her jump and subsequent running away. The sting reminded her of the whole ordeal and she glanced away from the marks. They’d fade in time but looking at them still made her sick to her stomach.

“There may be some armor in here that should fit. It would be better than those.” He motioned towards the prisoner rags and she felt that frustration anew. All of her things were gone. Her favorite armor, favorite weapons, all gone. _Not his fault._ She took a deep breath and went to search the chests. She found some armor and easily slipped it on. The Imperial armor was slightly heavier than she was used to, but it was serviceable enough. She turned and saw Hadvar had his back to her. It was comical that he'd been a gentleman and turned while she changed. Amusement had a grin tugging at her lips. She hadn't expected to find something to smile about this day.

“There was a passage that led out under the keep. Last I remember. It's better than staying with the dragon. We can stick together and escape.” She sighed and looked over at him. He seemed hesitant to speak with her, and she had to get this over with. She wondered if he was afraid she'd turn him in to her uncle. He’d been following his orders as any good soldier would, as she’d expect _her_ soldiers to perform. There was no holding that against him and he did try to argue on her behalf with the captain.

“See here. I don't hold what happened against you. You were following orders, as any good soldier should. I'll make sure my uncle does as well. Are you sure we can escape this way?” He nodded and she saw what looked like relief pass over his face at her words. She resisted the urge to add in a ‘maybe’ but decided to spare the man. They headed further into the keep, and Aurelia drew the sword she'd found along the wall. She was used to daggers but was no slouch with any weapon. The Imperial Army made sure their trainees could wield any weapon before they let them onto a battlefield. The Stormcloaks fell to her blade, much to Hadvar's surprise.

“As I explained, I am a soldier in the Imperial Army. I hold the rank of Legate, if we’re to be specific. I was trained extensively just as you were.” She wiped the blade clean and slid it back into the sheath. They headed further into the keep, past the torture room. Aurelia did not agree with torture, it was too close to what the Thalmor did. If there was one thing she hated most in the world it was the Thalmor. She just kept her opinion to herself, given the state of affairs between her people and the elves.

They reached the caverns below Helgen, and Aurelia paused. She knew that caves were often the home of spiders. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead at the thought. The scuttling on the stones sent ice down her spine and her hands trembled. She froze at the entrance to the tunnel, prompting Hadvar to turn around. _Why is it always spiders?_

“Are you alright?” She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.

“I'm fine.” She headed down the tunnel despite the growing dread in her stomach. The room opened up and she saw six. Six giant spiders. The blood drained out of her face as she froze in horror. Hadvar moved around her and began killing them. She moved over to him as the last one fell. Put a falmer or bandit in front of her and she could cut them down with ease but a spider? She’d rather face the Mad Prince himself than any more spiders.

“There's one behind you.” She shrieked and jumped at him. He barely caught her as she looked desperately behind her. She realized there was no spider behind them and sent a glare hot enough to smelt ore his way. He barely restrained the urge to laugh. The woman who'd made the unflappable Captain sweat was scared of a few measly spiders. It was interesting to see.

“That was cruel. And uncalled for. You must have siblings.” It was the only explanation.

“A younger brother. How did you guess?” She jumped away from him and dusted her armor off as she refused to meet his eyes. Though she heard the laughter in his voice. Damned man thought it funny to laugh at her. It reminded her so much of Niall her chest ached at the thought.

“My older brother would pull the exact same stunt when we were younger.” She informed him as she brushed past him. He merely grinned and followed behind her. The bear posed little problem for them as they snuck past it and out into the Skyrim sunlight.

“Sweet Divines it's good to see sunlight again.” Aurelia sighed as she tilted her head back to bask in it.

“We're close to Riverwood. My uncle is the blacksmith there. You can rest up there before you head to Solitude. I'm sure General Tullius is worried about you.” Aurelia nodded and gave him a sly grin.

“Being nice to the milk drinker, are we?” He flushed as they headed towards Riverwood. “I'm still confused as to how that's used as an insult here in Skyrim.” They continued on as Hadvar tried to explain why the term was an insult for Nords.


	2. Chapter 2

Aurelia paused as she took in the small village that was Riverwood. It was small, but there weren't any shadows lurking. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The people milled about the town exchanging local gossip, none the wiser at what had happened to them in Helgen. The water wheel worked tirelessly at the lumber mill, gently churning water as the workers tended the logs. She saw the people greet Hadvar as they made their way into town. Good natured and warm, but also the teasing. She grinned as he was teased about his new sweetheart. “A ladies man are you?” He flushed and rubbed the back of his head.

“What? No, no. I take my duty as a soldier too seriously.” Aurelia grinned as she understood. She also took her duty to the Imperial Army seriously, to the lament of her mother. They strolled up to the blacksmith and Aurelia felt tiny compared to the giant of a man that greeted them. By Dibella, Hadvar's uncle was huge. Not that the nephew was any slouch but Divines! She refused to entertain the idea that it was she that was too short.

“Your friend was at Helgen too?” He narrowed his eyes at Aurelia who stiffened at the implication. She forced herself to relax. The man had no reason to trust her at all.

“She was caught up in that ambush by accident uncle. This is Aurelia Tullius. Niece to General Tullius.” Hadvar explained as she crossed her arms and huffed in irritation. She refused to hold anyone's assumptions against them. Hard to do when she was just as guilty as anyone else.

“Wrong place, wrong time eh? Come in. Let's get some food in you.” They followed him in and Aurelia felt eyes on her. She saw the daughter watching her carefully as she sat at the table. Hadvar explained what went down at Helgen. Alvor shook his head as he worried his thumb. The news was grim indeed.

“The Jarl needs to know what is going on.” They all turned to look at her and she knew what was coming. She readied her answer when Hadvar interrupted.

“Whiterun has a carriage that will take you directly to Solitude.” She glowered at him but sighed. He knew what would push her to agreeing. A carriage ride to Solitude would save her a long journey in a place she was unfamiliar with. _Damn it_. She would take the news of the dragon to Whiterun, and then she'd be on her way to Solitude. The least she could do after they fed her and gave her a place to rest. Aurelia Tullius always paid her debts.

“Thank you friend. You're always welcome here. If you need supplies, the general store may have what you need.” Aurelia’s lips thinned. That required coin. Which had also been taken. _Blast it all!_

“All of my belongings were taken. I don't know where they are.” She stood from the chair and stretched to ease the tension in her back. She missed the shared look between uncle and nephew. Until Alvor spoke again, this time softer.

“If you need some coin, I could use a hand around the forge. How well can you swing a hammer?” Her eyes narrowed but she decided to just take him at his word. He must have sensed she would turn down an out and out loan. Pride was really all she had left, but at least her belly was full. That would change when she met back up with her uncle but she truly felt out of place.

“I'm decent. I'm better at leatherworking than metal smithing.” One thing her father made sure of, was she had a wealth of knowledge to fall back on. Leatherworking, tanning, hunting, tracking, and various weapons were in her arsenal of skills. Cooking came easy as she liked to eat and if she wanted good food, Aurelia found it was easier to make it herself. The chef at her family's estate had been willing to teach the impish Aurelia at a young age.

Alvor nodded at her answer. He beckoned her to follow him and she did, studying the goings on of the village as they rounded the corner. She accepted the large apron from him and made it fit. He gave her a few things to do around the forge and she had a pair of decent working boots for him after a few hours. Her chestplate had come off and she was wearing a threadbare tunic underneath with the sleeves rolled up. The forge was a nasty hot business, and leatherworking was no easy matter either. Strands of hair stuck to her forehead from the sweat she'd poured into the boots. The threadbare cotton clung to her body as she worked over the burning embers.

“These are a fine craft. You do have a talent with it.” He nodded and gave her the promised coin. She gave him a small salute and headed over to the Riverwood Trader. Perhaps there would be a few potions or rations she could purchase for her trek to the hold's main city. She overheard the theft of a golden claw and that perked her interest. Lucan assured her there would be a reward if she got the claw back from Bleak Falls Barrow. His sister told her how to find it.

Aurelia headed out of the town and up the hill towards the barrow. Her face fell flat as she saw the ancient ruins. Which meant spiders. A litany of curses flew through her mind. A promise was a promise and she took a deep breath before moving up the stairs to face the bandits. Or maybe no spiders if the bandits were already there.

She used the bow that she'd made while waiting for her leather to cure. It was made of simple pine but was sanded to the right curve and strung tight. It fired the arrows perfectly as they sank into the chief and his companion. “Now what did my uncle say about these old ruins?” Aurelia murmured as she slashed through the bandit in front of the puzzle. She paused and looked at the moving pedestals and then at the symbols above the door. “It can't be that easy can it?” She tested the theory by matching the pedestals and symbols. The lever shrieked from disuse as she jumped back to avoid any traps. The door opened with a teeth rattling screech and she stared at it in disbelief.

“That easy.” Aurelia sighed as she made her way further into the chambers. The creak of something ancient moving along with an unearthly groan snapped her memory into clarity. “Right. Draugr.” Aurelia spun on her heel and slammed the dagger into the draugr's chest. She stared into its ghostly blue eyes as they faded and it slumped to the floor. That spurred the other two into waking, and she rushed over to deal with them before they could fully wake up. With the draugr motionless at her feet she continued further into the ruin. Regretting her hasty decision to help as the signs began to point towards spiders. Again. Webs strung up along the eroding stone of the crypt as she trekked further into the sanctum. She wondered just how big the barrow was. Back in Cyrodil the crypts were never this large. It was a new experience for sure.

“Spiders…” Aurelia shuddered and swallowed as nerves danced in her belly. She whipped out her bow and notched an arrow as she picked her way through the corridor.

“Hello?” The voice startled her into dropping an arrow. Swiftly followed by her softly cursing, which made the man speak rapidly. “Quick, it’s coming back! I wounded it but. Oh Divines, it's back.” Aurelia slashed the webs in front of her and stepped through the doorway.

“Oh Sheogorath’s balls.” The giant spider landed on the other side of the room. She sent the arrow flying into its eye, relieved as it fell to its death. She disliked killing animals, even spiders, in general but the fight could have gone a lot differently if she hadn't reacted so quick. That was one large spider. Too big. Aurelia carefully stepped around the spider's corpse, the sight of the bones at her feet sent a shudder through her. She looked up to see the elf trapped in the webs. A dark elf by the looks of him. Which fit the description Lucan had given her of the thief.

“Hey. You're the one who stole that claw aren't you?” Aurelia poked his web covered chest. She narrowed her eyes at him as she debated whether or not to help him down. Though she suspected that the only way through to the sanctum would be through the passage behind him. Lucan didn't want anything but the golden claw, but ancient ruins usually had treasure. Treasure that could line her pockets.

“Yes, yes, the claw! It's the key to the treasure!” Aurelia gave him a skeptical glance. He was far too twitchy. The prospect of the treasure was promising, but she didn't think he'd be the type to share.

“Right. Here's how this is going to work. I cut you loose and you give me the claw. Then I let you leave and don't kill you. Sound good?” He nodded rapidly but refused to make eye contact with her. She sighed as she knew he was going to betray her the minute his feet hit the floor. Well, the spiders would have some food at least. Her dagger slid through the silky strands easily, letting him fall to the floor. 

“Stupid Imperial bi.” She cut him off with a dagger to the throat. 

“Let's not finish that sentence shall we?” He fell back clawing at his throat as the blood poured out. She snatched the claw off his belt. “Hmm. There's the claw. Thanks for that.” She tapped it gently against her forehead as she watched the dread grow in his face. The faint echo of hundreds of legs moving reached them and she gave him a cold smile as he held his hands against his throat. The dawning realization of what awaited him crept into his eyes.

“Good luck with the babies,” she told him with a chilling smile. Aurelia stood up and headed further inward as he struggled to curse her back. The rest of her trip in wasn't too bad, just more of the same. Draugr, traps, and puzzles. She stood in front of the giant puzzle door and tapped her finger against her lips. 

“I read something about these things.” Her eyes roamed over it and landed on the middle plate. She held the golden claw up towards it and nodded. Something tugged at her mind, something about the rings. “Wait. These symbols…” She flipped the claw over and studied the carvings. A bear, moth, and wolf. Aurelia gave in to the urge and shifted the rings to match the dragon claw before inserting it into the keyhole. The ground rumbled beneath her feet and she jumped back instinctively. The door slid down into a groove in the floor, the ground quaking under her boots as the ancient stone moved.

“Holy hell. Look at this thing. It's massive.” She whistled in approval as she headed through the door. The chamber was massive. She hadn't expected a cavern as large as what she saw, a tomb at most. Bats rushed at her head and she ducked with a small shriek to avoid them. “Hahaha. Face down draugr with nary a protest but I scream when I see bats? Niall would never let me live it down if he ever saw that.” Aurelia pushed on further into the cavern. The monument in the middle drew her attention with its massive size. 

“By the Nine. It's a word wall!” Her fingers traced over the words etched into the stone. In a language long forgotten by mortals. One word glowed as her fingers traced over the lines. “What?” A rush of magic went up her arm like a lightning strike. She snatched her hand away as a word roared in her head. _Fus._ She rapidly glanced around her to make sure she was truly alone. She stared at her hand, which remained unmarked. Yet, the knowledge was lodged into her mind. 

“Was that some kind of trap? Felt like a lightning rune.” She shook her hand from the memory of it. Heavy scraping behind her had her looking heavenward. “I should've stayed in Cyrodil. The Thieves Guild would've been far less trouble.” Aurelia turned with her daggers already in hand as the draugr came out of his sarcophagus. She put him down and saw the tablet on him.

“Huh. I have no idea what you're for but I do know scholars. And scholars will pay big money for something like this.” She tucked it into her small pack before she turned to the treasure chest. 

“What is this?” Aurelia paused as she saw the faceted stone lying there. It looked as if it were made of quartz. “Well, you're certainly unique.” She cleaned the rest of the chest out before debating if she should grab it or not. “Unique has posed a really big problem for me lately.” She mulled it over and ultimately reached for it. It weighed a little more than she anticipated but it was the blaring voice in her head that startled the shriek out of her.

 _“Another hand touches the beacon.”_ She threw the stone back into the chest and closed the lid.

“Nope, nope, nope.” She sat on the lid of the treasure chest while the voice in her head droned on and on. “I did not sign on for otherworldly voices in my head. Nope.” 

_“You dare defy Meridia?”_

“Balls,” Aurelia grumbled and slid off the chest. That daedric prince wasn't completely evil. The nagging feeling she'd never be left alone until she found out what the daedra wanted also fueled her to pick the beacon back up. Daedric princes, even ones not considered evil, never operated as one thought they should. They were at the mercy of their whims as were any mortals that crossed their paths. Aurelia thought she should be thankful it wasn’t Sheogorath. She wasn’t in a mood to leave the encounter quacking like a duck wearing her organs as skin.

_“A foul darkness has seeped into my temple. A darkness you will destroy. Return my beacon to Mount Kilkreath and I will make you the instrument of my cleansing light.”_

“Fine.” Aurelia tossed the beacon into her pack and stomped off to the side corridor and the lever there. “Is it near Solitude?”

_“It is.”_

“Fine. I'll go and kill whatever is in the temple.” She made her way out of the temple and eased her way along the ledge until she was back on the path to Riverwood. This little jaunt into Skyrim was turning out to be a little more than she anticipated and she hadn't even made it to Whiterun. Hell, she hadn’t even been in the country a week. If this was how her adventure started then she was loathe to see how it was going to end.


End file.
